


What If They Didn't Actually Do The Deed? - Robert and Rebecca (16th March 2017) (canon compliant MAYBE)

by BoleynC



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/M, M/M, also writing from bex's perspective is interesting and I kind of like it, but I think it's in character, he's nasty when he's upset, robert is an arse in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-10-08 13:10:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10387371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoleynC/pseuds/BoleynC
Summary: An idea based on a fan theory going around which I like because it doesn’t throw Rebecca’s character under the bus for this storyline.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to get into Rebecca's head here because I know loads of people hate her but it's kind of the show's fault because she's always used as a thorn in Robron's side or just generally as a plot device and I think there could be way more to her if they gave her an actual storyline of her own. 
> 
> Rebecca White deserves better! Just saying!

At first it seems perfect. It’s everything Rebecca’s wanted for months, _years_ even. Robert’s kissing her like he really means it, like this is the start of something special. Robert and Aaron are over and Rob’s realised, (as she always dreamed he would), that the right person for him, his soulmate, has been there all along. 

Only it’s not perfect. That’s becoming apparent with every passing second. 

Robert’s lips taste of whiskey and he’s breathing heavily, with none of his usual cool finesse.

The usual greedy hunger is there, his single-minded quest to get some satisfaction, only his hands are clumsy and he keeps missing her mouth. It’s taken him three goes to attempt to unfasten the buttons on her blouse. 

This isn’t Robert and this isn’t right. 

“Rob… Robert, hold on a minute.” 

Slightly dazed, his eyes unfocused, Robert pulls back, confused. 

“What’s the matter?” 

“I just need a minute. Okay?” 

He looks confused again but shrugs. 

“I don’t think you really want this.” 

“I do,” he says quickly, _too_ quickly. After all, since when has Robert ever wanted to seem so eager? They’ve had sex plenty of times before and Robert’s always played it cool. “I do, I want yer. Need yer.” 

“Need me for what?” Bex asks. 

“ _This_.” 

He goes to kiss her again but Bex puts a hand on his chest. 

She thinks that in his inebriated state Robert may actually have told the truth. He needs her for the sex. For the release. But he doesn’t need _her,_ period. 

“I don’t know if I feel comfortable with this,” Bex admits, which takes a huge amount of self control considering she’s laying on her back beneath him and this is all she’s wanted for years. 

“You want me,” Robert says arrogantly.

“Yes. But… you don’t want this. Not really. You’re drunk, Robert. You’re missing Aaron. He’s broken your heart and you’re trying to hurt him. I do know you. We are friends.” 

“Fuck Aaron,” Robert declares childishly. 

“Which is exactly what this is about.” 

Rebecca gives him another pat on the chest and Robert obediently rolls onto his side and flops down on the bed beside her. The small and undignified 'ooof' noise he makes convinces her that this isn't Robert at his best. 

She sits up and looks across the room at that discarded whiskey bottle. If it was full when Robert got hold of it then there’s no way he can be in his right mind. He should reasonably be far worse than this already. He ought to have passed out. 

Bex considers getting out of the bed. She’s all ready to, but then she turns back to look at Robert, whose face is scrunched up in what could be a hilarious way. He looks like a sulky child. She still loves him and she can’t leave him like this, so with a sigh she settles down on her back beside him, so they’re shoulder to shoulder, staring up at the ceiling.

Deep down she still hopes that there’s a chance. Not for the sex, not while he’s in this state, but for them. That maybe part of what he was saying was true. 

Perhaps, Bex thinks, this business with Aaron and the drugs has made Robert realise who he really wants? Perhaps that's why he's drunk himself into such a state? Perhaps it's the guilt?

“Do you want to talk about it?” Bex offers, slightly awkwardly.  

“No point. Nobody cares what I have to say. It’s always about him, always about _Aaron.”_

Which means this is about Aaron as well. It was never about her. Once again she was just the safe bet. The silly little girl that he knew would come running. 

"He deserves whatever he gets," Robert adds spitefully, sounding almost laughably immature. 

He’s still as selfish as ever, and strangely, something is changing in that room. Within Rebecca herself. It feels like she’s seeing Robert for what he truly is for the first time. It’s quite a shock. 

Gone is the charisma, the charm. This vulnerability is… unnerving. 

The bare bones of Robert Sugden are on show and it's almost repulsive. It's strangely adolescent, horribly vindictive. Clearly he's heartbroken, that much is obvious, but from that heartbreak malice is growing. Amidst the self-pity there's a clear desire to lash out, to wound. It's quite honestly vile. 

And he’s used her. Or he tried to. He was going to drag her down with him in his misery. She was just a tool he could wield to hurt Aaron. 

Rebecca’s watched Aaron and Robert together for a while now, probably with more intensity than was really fair. They do love each other. She knows that. But Robert was still prepared to hop into bed with her. He was going to use her and break Aaron’s heart. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. 

Even if he and Aaron are over, like he claims, it’s a nasty move. A horribly considered one.  Perhaps even premeditated. 

 _Poor Aaron_ , Rebecca thinks, feeling hideously guilty. All this time she’s longed to be in his shoes, to be the one that Robert loves, the one that he finally commits to, and now she’s faced with the reality that being Robert Sugden’s one true love isn’t all sunshine and roses. It’s a mess. It’s toxic. It’s destructive and painful and not what she wants. 

Laying beside him, she knows that she doesn’t love him anymore. It’s a strange, detached feeling. Freeing, yes. Liberating. But sad, too. 

Did she really go behind her sister’s back for him? For this man sprawled out next to her, flies undone, looking so intoxicated that he might vomit, cry, or start snoring? 

“You and Aaron aren’t really over, are you?” she asks aloud, already knowing the answer. “You just said that to get what you wanted.” 

Robert doesn’t answer her, and it’s all the proof she needs. 

She feels like an idiot for believing it in the first place. Or perhaps she didn’t. Perhaps she just wanted to.

Bex can feel the tears forming hotly in her eyes. It’s ridiculous to be so upset over something like this but she can’t help it. 

“I should go,” Rebecca remarks, blinking them away before they fall. 

“Stay,” Robert slurs, not looking at her. “Don’t want to be alone. Hate being alone.” 

Rebecca knows this could be her moment to throw it all back in his face. Her great act of revenge. She can leave him to his shame, alone in the ruined mess of his future home. But she finds that she can’t. 

If she was Chrissie, Robert would have got a slap for his trouble already, and she’d be long gone, probably telling everyone exactly what had just transpired. 

But Rebecca isn’t her sister. 

Despite everything she still cares. It’s a sort of pity. Seeing him sink so low after knowing the man he used to be is almost harrowing.

“Fine,” she agrees, fixing her clothes. Even Bex isn't sure why she shows Robert mercy, it just happens. "I'll stay for a while."

“Can’t sleep without him," Robert announces.

 _Clearly you were going to do your best to, though,_ Bex thinks. _You were happy to screw the first person in sight._

Maybe somewhere in Robert’s head that makes sense. It doesn’t to Bex. After all, how can you miss someone so much that you can’t sleep without them, only to cheat as soon as the opportunity arises?

“Well it looks like you’re going to have to,” Bex points out bitterly. She can’t help the way her frustration is evident in her tone. 

“Hate this,” Robert declares, sounding incredibly sorry for himself. All thoughts of sex have clearly gone out the window at this point. He’s so drunk that he’s still not even bothered to do up his flies. Rebecca doubts he can remember he'd ever unzipped them. 

“Well tonight’s not exactly been the best for me, either,” Bex says sourly. “You lied to me. You absolute bastard.” 

Robert sniffs. 

“And we’re going to have a conversation about that when you’re sober. Trust me," she adds. 

Still Robert says nothing. She’s not even sure that he’s listening. 

“You were never offering anything, were you? All that stuff you said about Chrissie being a mistake was a lie. This was never about us.” 

It goes very quiet for a long time. Bex wonders if Robert’s fallen asleep, but when she turns her head to look at him his face is screwed up again and tears are falling. 

He’s a mess. It makes Bex want to run. She’s never been good with the gritty stuff. It’s why sleeping with Robert used to be so convenient, why she’s been seeing Ross recently. She can do sex and flirting and excitement. But seeing someone like this, at their weakest, in their shame… it’s sickening. She knows she can’t handle it.

“You would have had me and then dropped me, wouldn’t you? You would have wormed your way out of it somehow. It’s always excuses with you. I should have listened to Chris.” 

“She’s a psycho,” Robert declares drunkenly. 

“Do you even care about me? At all?” Rebecca demands. 

“Course.” 

“Thing is, I don’t think that’s true. I think I’m just convenient. I think you believe you can snap your fingers and I’ll come running.” 

“Well you did,” Robert points out with a scoff, even though his eyes are wet with tears. It's unnerving, how he's laughing through that. 

That comment is painful, but Bex refuses to be hurt. She’s a White. She can keep her cool. 

"Do you hate me that much?" she asks, voice breaking slightly in the middle. 

"Don't hate yer," Robert answers. "You're just... _so easy._ "

Rebecca's eyes widen with surprise. 

"I beg your pardon?" 

"Every time," Robert slurs, brow furrowed with the effort it's taking to think of the words. "It's been years and you still don't get it. You  _still_ think this could happen."

Rebecca isn't sure if Robert even realises how offensive he's being, how utterly cold and cruel. The worst part is that she suspects this is just pure Robert, the words pouring out of his mouth now the whiskey's taking its toll and he's no longer trying to get her into bed. 

"Blimey, you sure do know how to let a girl down gently," Rebecca tries to joke, although on the inside she feels like weeping. There's a lump in her throat she just can't get rid of. 

"You're always doing the running. Not a good look. In fact, it's kinda pathetic really..."

He really does deserve a slap now, but Bex restrains herself. He's clearly drunk out of his mind. And deep down, she can't help but feel he's hit the nail on the head. The fact she's secretly always thought the same of herself only makes it worse. She thought she was good at hiding it, that insecurity, the fear that nobody will ever truly love her or put her first. But apparently it's there for all to see. It's no wonder Chrissie's always thought she was a pitiful excuse for a sister. It's no wonder that her father always favoured Chrissie, the bright one, the savvy one, the one with the self-respect. 

"Well, thank you for that," Rebecca manages to say, trying to sound sarcastic but ending up with a voice that's too high-pitched, too wobbly.

Robert makes a humming sort of noise which she assumes is meant to serve as a response. Apparently he's now too tired to bother to form full sentences. Looking at his eyes, which are already half closed and unfocussed, Rebecca knows he's beyond the point of reason. Telling him off won't do a thing. 

There’s no way he’ll be able to remember this in the morning. He’s absolutely sloshed. 

And that’s when the idea hits her. 

It’s cruel and devious, but Rebecca thinks it’s reasonable, given the circumstances.

It’s about time Robert got his comeuppance. He has to learn. He has to understand that the people around him aren’t there to be used, to be discarded when he’s done. 

What Robert Sugden needs is a proper fright and she’s perfectly positioned to be the one to give it to him. 

Rebecca watches him for a moment as he drifts off to sleep, considering her options, wondering if she has the bottle to pull this off. _Chrissie would do it,_ she thinks. And if nothing else Robert respected her. People respect her. She's not afraid to give someone a taste of their own medicine. It doesn't matter if people hate Chrissie, because they know she means business. They know not to mess with her. She's strong. Ruthless.

Just before Robert succumbs to sleep, his lips move to form a word. It comes out in an almost unintelligible whisper, but Bex is sure it's supposed to be: "sorry".

Rebecca wants to believe that the apology is for her, but she knows better than that. It’s for Aaron. Robert’s forgotten she’s even there. His mouth is now hanging unattractively open as he sleeps, and he looks like he might even start to dribble.

 _I don’t love you anymore and maybe I never did,_ Rebecca thinks, as she carefully climbs off the mattress and fetches her fur coat, mind made up. 

She’s not going to spend the rest of her life pining for Robert Sugden. He’s taken up enough of her energy and thoughts already. He might not be the monster Chrissie thinks he is, but he _is_ selfish and self-destructive and cruel. She can do _better._

Her thoughts drift to Aaron, somewhere in a prison cell, most likely wishing he was home with his husband. Despite what she was prepared to do, Rebecca’s grown fond of Aaron over the past few weeks and now more than ever she feels a sense of solidarity with him. They’ve both been on the receiving end of Robert’s childish, malicious impulses. They've both been hideously let down.

If Robert had been sober they would have had sex. There’s no doubt in Rebecca’s mind. He would have gone through with it behind Aaron’s back, and he would have used her like a cheap tart.

Robert needs to face the music and it needs to hurt. He needs a wake up call. Rebecca picks up her bag and quietly rifles through it, looking for a pen. What she finds instead is an eyeliner, but it will work just as well. She tears a page out of her miniature work diary and scrawls out a message. 

_'Thanks for last night. Talk soon. Bex. x'_

For the authentic touch she brings the paper to her lips and kisses it, making sure to press as hard as she can, so what remains is a pink lipstick mark. She smiles at her handiwork and then carefully places the note down beside Robert, in the space she’d been occupying just minutes before. 

To add to the effect, she reaches into her bag and finds her perfume, spritzing it lightly on the sheets. 

Robert's going to wake up tomorrow believing he got his wish. He's going to believe he's broken Aaron's heart and used her to do it. 

He can have fun dealing with that guilt, with that panic. That's if he even feels guilt. Chrissie seems to think he's incapable of that, but Rebecca's still on the fence. 

The real test is if Robert will tell Aaron about this. They do seem to love each other. Very much, if she’s honest. But with this new development Rebecca’s no longer sure. And if Robert doesn’t have the guts to tell the truth (or what he _believes_ to be the truth), then Aaron’s better off without him. They both are. 

If Robert can't be honest with people for once in his life then he deserves to have his life come crashing down around him. He deserves this guilt on his conscience. She's not going to go out of her way to spare him that. 

And when he's lost Aaron, once and for all, and he inevitably comes crawling back to her in a lonely panic, as his second-option (of course), she's going to kick him to the curb. 

Ross will have to go too, but that's not much of a loss. He's never respected her either. He's just like Robert. She's fed up of men who only want to sleep with her, who think they can call her up for a bit of fun but never bother to commit. That's one thing she's thankful to Robert for. Opening her eyes. Showing her that she doesn't have to put up with that anymore, because it's not worth it. She's better than that. 

Bex moves towards the door and gives the trashed bedroom one last sad glance. It’s clearly been painted and decorated with love, every item picked out especially to make it perfect. And in one single moment of frustration Robert’s ruined it all. 

Certainly he's destroyed their friendship beyond repair. Even if he won't remember the things he said to her, Rebecca will. She'll always know that Robert thinks she's easy, pathetic, not worthy of his respect. That he only ever liked her on his terms. That they had nothing at all. 

 _I loved you, you bastard,_ Rebecca thinks, as she glances at the man sprawled on the bed, dead to the world, dribbling on his pillow. _But maybe Chrissie was right._

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if I want this to be a thing that actually turns out to be true or not, but I've been seeing this theory a lot on twitter and Tumblr and it gave me the idea for this. 
> 
> If you enjoyed this then please let me know! Comments are everything! Honestly they make my day!
> 
> On twitter I'm @ClaudiaBoleyn and on Tumblr I'm at claudiaboleyn.tumblr.com
> 
> xxx


End file.
